Hair blocking guide



Jan. 3, 1956 D. E. HARMON HAIR BLOCKING GUIDE Filed Sept. 25, 1951 FIG. 2.

FIG.

INVENTOR DEWEY E. HARMON ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 2,729,218 HAIR BLOCKING GUIDE Dewey E. Harmon, Dallas Center, Iowa Application September 25, 1951, Serial No. 248,251 1 Claim. (Cl. 132-45) This invention relates to blocking guides for curling hair. It is an object of this invention to provide a safe, simple blocking guide to facilitate systematized hair curling, particularly home permanents. It is a further object of this invention to provide a hair curling guide which assumes a fixed and definite position and orientation on the head so that any particular coiifure may be readily duplicated by employing my guide.

It is common knowledge that the average person armed with only a home-wave kit cannot achieve permanent waves of beauty salon calibre, popular advertisements to the contrary notwithstanding. The principal reason for this is that an important part of proper hair waving is the skill and technique of the operator in blocking and curling the hair. The professional look that characterizes beauty salon permanent waves is the result of the special techniques of trained and experienced operators. With the help of my invention, any intelligent person can now simulate those techniques and thereby approach the professional level of excellence in permanently waving hair.

My invention consists simply of a cage or frame, constructed of wire or other suitably rigid material, the wire being covered by rubber or plastic or other material to provide a smooth surface and to render it noncorrosive and inert to hair waving solutions. The frame is constructed to follow the contour of the head and to cover the entire scalp area, as defined by the hair line. The members of the frame form a grid which divides the entire scalp into small areas of reasonably uniform size. The hair is drawn through the frame in separate locks corresponding to individual areas of the grid. The frame serves not only to block the scalp into areas, but also serves as a guide for actually separating the hair into the appropriate individual locks. Some or all of these locks may be curled, usually according to a predetermined pattern. After the hair is curled and neutralized in the conventional way, it is unwound and the frame may be removed.

A thorough understanding of the construction and use of my invention and its advantages may be secured from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hair curling guide frame constructed according to one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the frame in Fig. 1.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in which a covered wire frame is constructed to fit the contour of the head. A peripheral wire member forms an approximate outline of the scalp along the hair line, segment 10a of member 10 being curved to fit comfortably above the ears so that the frame is always properly positioned on the head. Connected to each side of peripheral member 10, slightly posterior of the segments 10a, is a member 11 which extends arcuately transversely to form part of the crown z of the frame. member 12 is back of the frame in a manner analogousto member 11;

forming an inverted U opposite the posterior area of- Spaced longitudinal members limb he sers. skull. stantially at right angles to member 11 extend from the forehead and temple segments 10b of member 10 to the posterior member 12. Substantially horizontal members 14 spaced from each other are connected between the right-hand segment 12a of member 12 and the left-hand segment 12b. The members of the frame divide the scalp area into an orderly pattern of small, approximately uniform areas of appropriate size for determining a desirable amount of hair to be formed into a single curl.

In use, the frame is placed on the users head after the hair has been prepared for waving. The frame should rest comfortably on the users head with the members 10a fitted over the ears to position the frame precisely.

Tresses are drawn through the blocking areas of the frame corresponding to their respective follicles. This may easily be accomplished by running the rat-tail of a comb, or other blunt-pointed instrument, across the lower member of each frame area with the rat-tail protruding through the hair to the scalp, and pulling the group of hairs thereby collected through the frame area. The frame serves not only to block the scalp into an area pattern, but also serves as a guide for the rat-tail in collecting the hair for each tress separately. The hair group for each frame area may now be rolled on curlers and treated to set the Wave in the hair. After the curl has set and the hair is unwound from the curlers, the blocking frame may be removed.

It is envisioned that my invention may be constructed to provide a variety of patterns for subdividing the scalp area, and therefore I do not limit myself to the particular blocking pattern shown and described in the above embodiment. The frame, of course, may be constructed of various sizes to accommodate different cranium shapes. The frame also may be constructed of pliable material so that it afiords a flexibility in being adapted to fit variously shaped heads.

When my blocking guide is used, permanent waves may be more easily controlled because the members of the frame subdivide the scalp area into reasonably uniform subdivisions of such a size that the hair groups thus defined are of a convenient size for rolling. With all curls having approximately the same bulk, the rolling operation, the application of the waving lotion, the timing, and the neutralization are all much simplified.

Because the blocking guide divides the hair into rela tively small groups, it not only facilitates permanent Waving, but it also affords flexibility of hair styling since many combinations of selected hair groups may be curled to form different hair styles.

The blocking guide of my invention is safe, light Weight and causes no inconvenience or discomfort to the wearer. It is well adapted to home and non-professional use because with it, even the inexperienced may successfully give home permanents which are uniform and artistic.

My invention is also well adapted to be used in connection with an instruction chart which designates the particular curls to be made for each subdivided hair group to obtain various coiifures. By such use, even the inexperienced may create hair styles which otherwise may be very dilficult to achieve.

I claim:

A hair waving blocking guide adapted to fit on the head comprising a peripheral wire member substantially defining the hairline, and curved to fit above the wearers ears; a second wire member connected at both ends to the peripheral member and extending arcuately trans- Patented J an: 3, 1956 As shown particularly in Fig; 2; a further disposed substantially transversely iii th'e,

being in spaced relation to subdivide the hair into locks of a desirable size for treating and curling.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Janda Mar. 18, Ryan Aug. 18, Glick Nov. 20, Carr Jan. 8, 

